Centre for Medical and Health Sciences Education, University of Auckland, Private Bag 92019, Auckland, 1142 New Zealand.
Perspect Med Educ. 2012 Aug;1(3):129-42. doi: 10.1007/s40037-012-0019-y. Epub 2012 Jun 27.
International students form a significant proportion of students studying within universities in Western countries. The quality of life perceptions of international medical students in comparison with domestic medical students has not been well documented. There is some evidence to suggest that international medical students may have different educational and social experiences in relation to their domestic peers. This study investigates the levels of quality of life experienced by international and domestic students studying medicine. A total of 548 medical students completed the abbreviated version of the World Health Organization Quality of Life questionnaire. The focus of the analysis was to evaluate differences between international and domestic students in their early clinical years. The responses were analysed using multivariate analysis of variance methods. International medical students are experiencing lower social and environmental quality of life compared with domestic peers. International medical students in New Zealand have expressed quality of life concerns, which likely have an impact on their academic achievement, feelings of wellness, acculturation, and social adaptation. The findings reinforce the need for creating stronger social networks and accessible accommodation, as well as developing systems to ensure safety, peer mentorship and student support.
留学生在西方国家的大学中占据了相当大的比例。然而，与国内医学生相比，留学生的生活质量感知尚未得到充分记录。有一些证据表明，国际医学生可能在教育和社会经验方面与国内同龄人有所不同。本研究调查了学习医学的留学生和国内学生的生活质量水平。共有 548 名医学生完成了世界卫生组织生活质量问卷的简化版。分析的重点是评估国际学生和国内学生在早期临床阶段的差异。使用多元方差分析方法对这些回答进行了分析。与国内同龄人相比，国际医学生的社会和环境生活质量较低。新西兰的国际医学生表达了对生活质量的担忧，这可能会对他们的学业成绩、健康状况、文化适应和社交适应产生影响。这些发现强调了需要建立更强大的社交网络和可及的住宿环境，以及开发系统以确保安全、朋辈指导和学生支持的必要性。
